The most likely scenario is this... They started out as "wanna-be's" very angry youths who understood programming above basic hobbyists but well below the fanatics who were recruited by the CIA while still in college. This "group" likely met in the "dark web" (fuck, I hate that term) before it was even a thing..likely just private MB's who sent messages back and forth via some PTP network. When they decided that their knowledge could be used against a system that they knew was unfair, they knew that their time to act was then...before their understandings were bypassed in relevance. By doing their initial attack ..maybe even the first 2, they gained a deal of trust from a large segment of western people who (rightfully) distrusted the media. Even an instant kind of admiration and respect for what they were trying to do. But I would imagine the CIA/NSA ...even back then had little trouble tracking them down. Giving them the "you're with us or you're going to go missing" mantra they're known for. THIS is where IMO someone like Snowden comes in. The cover right now is that he "always worked" for the government. I'm not buying it. I wouldn't be shocked if the data he smuggled out "in a rubix cube" was smuggled out with the help of a few other guys he was forced into it with. Of course, I wouldn't be shocked either if he's still an active CIA mole whose always looking to set up more honeypots with his new found "fame". That's the game they play, once you understand their deception and the reality of it...you really never trust anything or anyone online again.